Sir Arthur Acland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vice-President of the Committee on Education | |
| In office 25 August 1892 – 21 June 1895 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone The Earl of Rosebery |
| Preceded by | Sir William Hart Dyke, Bt |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Eldon Gorst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 October 1847 (1847-10-13) |
| Died | 9 October 1926 (1926-10-10) (aged 78) |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Sir Arthur Herbert Dyke Acland, 13th Baronet,PC (13 October 1847 – 9 October 1926) was a BritishLiberal politician and political author. He is best remembered for his involvement in education, serving asVice-President of the Council of Education underWilliam Ewart Gladstone and theEarl of Rosebery between 1892 and 1895.
Acland was born atHolnicote, nearPorlock, Somerset.[1] He was educated atRugby School[2] andChrist Church, Oxford, and wascalled to the Bar,Inner Temple, in 1867.
After graduation, Acland became a lecturer and tutor atKeble College, Oxford. He became adeacon in theChurch of England in 1872 and a priest in 1874. He retired fromholy orders in 1879 to pursue a political career. He served in various posts at colleges at Oxford from 1877 to 1885, most notably his administration, from 1878 onwards, of the Oxford Extension Lectures, which both furthered his grounding in the education field and brought him into contact with the industrial classes in the North of England, who would become his political base.[1] In 1886, he served asPresident of the second day of theCo-operative Congress.[3]
In 1879, Acland sat on the committee to create an Oxfordwomen's college "in which no distinction will be made between students on the ground of their belonging to different religious denominations." This resulted in the founding ofSomerville Hall (later Somerville College).
Though a wealthy aristocrat, Acland became the Liberal candidate for the industrialconstituency of Rotherham. The incongruity was increased by the fact that theYorkshire town was several hundred miles from Acland's home inDevon. Nonetheless, he was easily elected in 1885 and remained Member of Parliament for Rotherham until the end of his political career in 1899.[4]
Acland became one of the principal sponsors of the 1889 Welsh Intermediate Education Act, making theCounty Councils in Wales responsible for education – a reform not introduced in England until 1902. In 1892,William Ewart Gladstone appointed AclandVice-President of the Council of Education,[5] with a seat in the cabinet. His cabinet status gave him effective control of the educational authorities (TheCouncil President,Lord Kimberley, was a figurehead). He was sworn of thePrivy Council at the same time.[5]
Acland's principal legislative achievements were both enacted in 1893: The Elementary Education (Blind and Deaf Children) Act, and the Elementary Education (School Attendance) Act (which made education compulsory up to the age of eleven). The same year, he promulgated the Evening Continuation School Code, which laid the foundation for adult education, and issued Circular 321, which required inspectors to submit a report to the Education Department about the condition of buildings and apparatus in each public elementary school.[1]Acland's physical and mental health were not equal to the tasks he undertook, and his ill health continued after he left office after the Liberals' defeat in theGeneral Election of 1895. Although re-elected, he effectively resigned from Parliament in 1899 by requesting appointment to the position ofSteward of the Manor of Northstead, a nominal office of profit under the Crown.[1]
After his retirement, Acland served on several government commissions. In 1908, he declined a peerage. He worked on revised editions of hisHandbook in Outline of the Political History of England (co-authored with Cyril Ransome, father of children's authorArthur Ransome), a longtime standard in the field.[1]
Acland School – later merged intoAcland Burghley School – inTufnell Park, London was named after him.[6]
Acland marriedAlice Sophia Cunningham, daughter of Reverend Francis Macaulay Cunningham, in 1873. In 1919, at the age of 71, he succeeded his brother as ninth Baronet of Columb-John of the 1644 creation and thirteenth Baronet of Columb-John of the 1678 creation. He died in October 1926, aged 78, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son,Francis.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forRotherham 1885–1899 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-President of the Committee on Education 1892 – 1895 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the National Liberal Federation 1906–1907 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Baronet (of Columb-John) 1644 creation 1919 – 1926 | Succeeded by |
| Baronet (of Columb-John) 1678 creation 1919 – 1926 | ||
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |